The Wind Whispers
by attheturnofthetide
Summary: When Thorin finds an injured girl in the woods, he decides to bring her home... but he never could have imagined the fun (and trouble) she would bring. Years later, Kansi, a plucky and slightly naive dwarrowmaid determined to prove herself to Thorin, joins the Company on an adventure. But there's a twist – she wasn't allowed to join in the first place... Kili/OC, Kiliel
1. The Child in the Woods

**Chapter 1: The Child in the Woods**

The sky was darkening over Thorin Oakenshield's head, and thunder rumbled in the distance. He could feel the bumpy rock path beneath his feet as he walked deeper into the forest. Light drops of rain grazed his head as he continued on his way, and he looked at the sky, wondering if it would begin to rain hard.

Lightning had struck the forest a mere few hours ago, leaving a vast amount of wood for a fire; branches and even trunks lay scattered on the ground. There was actually not much forest left standing, but judging by the amount of lumber on the ground, there would be plenty of time for new saplings to grow.

Thorin gathered an armful of good, dry branches, leaving behind the rotten or smaller ones. He staggered across the stretch of land, grumbling as his foot hit a particularly sharp stone. He jogged toward a small clearing, and was about to return home when an alarming sound echoed through the rustling trees, causing him to hesitate. It was a low, growling sound, like metal grating on metal. Once again it echoed, and grew steadily closer. Thorin was about to go back home, where his sister would undoubtedly have some dinner for his empty stomach, when his ears caught another sound. A sound that made him stop in his tracks.

A scream.

It wasn't as high-pitched as a maiden's, because although the voice was high and shrill, it was not as mature. A sharply piercing undertone of fear resounded through his mind, digging into his conscience like a knife. Thorin slowly turned.

It was a child's scream.

Thorin sighed and grimly reached for the axe strapped to his back. He'd made it in the forge long ago when there had been extra metal, a day when the miners had struck a satisfying pocket of ore. A sword would have been better, but an axe back then seemed more practical.

He dropped the wood on the ground, hoping he'd find it on the way back, before running deeper into the forest, as more screams punctuated the air: growing louder and shriller as he neared the source.

As he ran, the trees began to thicken, and the ground began to rise beneath his feet. He reached the top of the incline, parting branches, and found himself not but three steps away from his destination.

A circle of three bears paced about, growling and snarling at the small, huddled figure in the center. The child, trembling, pale-faced little dwarrow-maid, knelt beside a dog's dead corpse. No, not a dog – a wolf. A silver-furred wolf, whose eyes were blank and lifeless. A handful of teeth lay in a small pool of blood beside the wolf's mouth. Both the largest bear and the wolf had red staining their snouts.

Thorin hefted his axe in his gloved hands, inching closer and closer to the bears. The largest, the one with the wolf-bites in a ring around its snout, snapped its teeth and lunged at the child, slashing its claws at her face. The child screamed once more as lightning lit the sky in a flash of light.

Thorin pounced. He hacked at the bear closest to him, his axe digging deep into its pelt. The other bear, a broad-shouldered, narrow-eyed beast, clawed at his coat, and as Thorin dealt blow after blow upon black bristly fur, he felt warm blood drip down his back.

With a final heave, Thorin chopped the head off the first bear, and faced the second with a loud roar. It pounced, and he shoved his axe into its heart, grunting as the bear's body slumped to the ground.

The last bear had been watching the entire process in cold interest, but there was a stormy rage in its eyes. Its lip curled and it reared on its front legs, snarling.

They circled the other, each searching for a weakness in their opponent. The bear snorted, its jaw widening over a mouthful of yellow, jagged teeth, and Thorin realized that he could see its ribs through a thin, ragged pelt as the creature paced.

Pity coursed through him. This bear and its pups (assuming the other bears _were_ its pups) merely wanted food for themselves. How many days had they starved slowly in the barren woodland? How many nights had they spent hearing their stomachs rumble? It was mainly the dwarves' fault. In this part of the forest, there were few rabbits and wildcats, not to mention fish. Would any creature even survive this coming winter?

He looked at the girl, whose cheek was bleeding profusely. She sat, arms around herself, shaking and staring wide-eyed at him. The damage the bear done woke him from his thoughts. Even if this creature was struggling to survive, it no longer had Thorin's sympathy.

The bear lunged, and Thorin swung the axe. He spun, dodging blows and landing his own at the bear's head, paws, and stomach. It reared up again, yellow eyes flashing, its jaw opened wide in a deafening roar. Thorin took his chance. He plunged the axe into the bear's heart as deep as he could.

It took a sharp intake of breath, gasping for air, then gurgled, gave one last growl, and collapsed on the ground.

Exhaling, Thorin sunk to the ground, his weapon clattering beside him. The girl looked at him, sniffling quietly. She had not moved from her place next to the wolf.

"You're safe now," said Thorin gruffly. He looked at her torn tunic and scraped knees.

"What are you doing in the forest by yourself?"

She could not have been older than twenty-three, around the same age as his nephews. Tears dripped onto the grass, and she did not bother wiping them away from her face.

"Ma and Da were attacked by bears," she said. "There were five big bears. Da killed two," she added proudly. "My Da's the bravest."

"Indeed," muttered Thorin. Her father had fought off two bears by himself, no small feat in these times. The dwarves were storing up food and replenishing their wood supply by now, but most had to manage with dry bread and blankets. Thin crusts did not provide much energy to fight one bear, never mind two.

"Ma told me to run away," continued the girl. "But I didn't want to leave Ma and Da. Fenir came to protect me, but the bear killed him."

The dwarrow-maid tried to look brave, but she broke down in seconds. Thorin awkwardly put his arm around her, and she clung to his shirt.

He stroked her hair, hoping that it would calm her. Her cries subsided slowly and she lay her head on his shoulder, tear-streaked and red-faced.

The girl patted her wolf Fenir's head, quivering, and Thorin scooped up the handful of teeth.

"You can put these on a string to remember your wolf's deeds," he said.

"Only some," said the girl. She picked an angled tooth from Thorin's hands, no doubt Fenir's, and took another: one of the bear's yellow curving canines.

"I can remember how you fought," she said, slipping the teeth into her pocket. She yawned and stood, wobbling slightly. "You were almost as brave as my Da."

Normally, any sort of comparison (positive or negative) would mildly offend Thorin, but this time he smiled. Taking the little girl's hand in his, he led her out of the forest.

"Let's go home."

.

.

.

Thorin gathered more wood as he walked. The original stack was gone; he could not recall where he'd left it. The girl grasped his hand tightly, as if she didn't want to let him go, and they followed the path into the open.

At last they reached the end of the forest. Thorin could see lights among the cluster of houses. They were nearly there.

The child's eyes fluttered. He picked her up in one harm, held the wood to his chest with the other, and walked briskly to his sister's house.

.

.

.

Dis was cooking when he arrived: a stew of leftovers and potatoes from Dori's garden. She undid her apron, told Fili to stop biting Kili, and gave Thorin a firm embrace.

If she saw the slight wince he gave when her arms touched his back, she didn't show it.

"About time, thank Mahal," she sighed. Her eyes strayed to the child. "Oh, Thorin – "

"I found her in the woods," he said. "She was being attacked by bears."

"And… she's safe now?" said Dis, looking at the dwarrow-maid's peaceful face. "Unharmed?"

"Injured, but safe," said Thorin. "She's a very brave warrior."

"Of course she is." Dis snapped back to her mother bode. "An injury like _that_ on her face. Honestly, Thorin, why didn't you at least clean it?"

Thorin shifted sheepishly from foot to foot, wisely deciding not to mention the fact that he was hungry, and Dis gave him a smack to the head.

"Idiot," she mutered, and took the girl in her arms.

"Since you can't cook," she added, "go entertain your nephews. And by Mahal, do _not_ tell them any more battle stories!"

Grumbling loudly, she bustled away to take care of the girl, and Thorin allowed himself a small smile.

Dis was a real mother hen and a snappy one, too, but she had a big heart.

.

.

.

He found himself lying on the ground later on, as Kili and Fili pounced on his legs, pretending to be 'bears'.

"Tell me again, Uncle!" said Fili. "Did the bears go RAAORGH? Did you do your battle cry? Did you chop off its head?"

Dis entered the room at the moment when Fili uttered this unfortunate statement. She dealt Thorin a slap to the arm, scowling.

"I _said_, you ninny, _no battle stories_!"

Thorin turned to hide his smile.

Dis ladled four bowls of stew, and thanked Mahal for their meal, bare seconds before Fili, Kili, and Thorin dug into their food.

"You three act like I don't even feed you," muttered Dis, but she looked pleased when Kili told her 'the food is good, Mam!'

Thorin had to agree. The food was delicious. A heap of stew, rich, warm, and creamy, lay in the bowl, chunks of potato, carrot, and meat giving it more flavour. A plate of sliced biscuit stood in the middle of the table, and was quickly disappearing.

As he dipped his fourth piece of biscuit into his stew, Dis reprimanded Kili for stealing Fili's food.

"How is the girl?" said Thorin hastily, as Kili's face began to screw up in protest. "Is she well?"

"Wounds on her arms and face, and a nasty bite on her leg, but otherwise, she's fine," said Dis. "The cuts on her arms look serious, but they'll heal in time. Her face, however, will remain scarred for life." She thumped the table suddenly, making Thorin start. "Now eat your food quickly, Thorin Oakenshield, or so help me, I'll deliver you to Mandos myself!"

Chuckling, Thorin emptied his bowl.

"And don't bother hiding that scratch on your back," added Dis. "I'll treat it after dinner."

**A/N:**

**YESSS CHAPTER ONE DONE! I hope someone's read any of this so far ;) It took me quite a while to write, and my beta Paula (who's new to FF, but already is a merciless beta, although a very honest one) corrected tons of boring sentences. I actually have planned out the entire story already, and I'm expecting it to be 40+ chapters. Yes, you heard that right. I'm actually planning to commit myself to writing this thing.**

**This is kind of a tribute to Paula, I guess, and it will probably be the only Kili/OC I will ever write in my life. I'm doing a Fili/OC for her birthday surprise (though it's not much of a surprise since she already knows about it), so basically, in short: these are the last Durin/OC romance fics I will write. I think that I shall stick to elves.**

**Anyways, don't take me too seriously. I may do some fluffy dwarf one-shots in the future. But for now I have 5 stories I want to write.**

**Happy very belated new year!**


	2. Thorin's House

**Chapter 2: Thorin's House**

**Thorin**

The girl, as well as everyone else, woke the next day to Dis banging a spoon on her pan. Thorin had put her on his bed the night before, so he'd slept on the ground. He stretched and stood, and was greeted by a pair of dark, wide eyes.

"You're the dwarf that helped me!" she said. "The brave one."

Dis lowered her pan and snorted. Thorin ignored her.

"Are you feeling better?" he said.

The child nodded. "My face doesn't hurt." She carefully sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, suddenly noticing her clean tunic. "Where's Fenir's tooth?"

Thorin fished something out of his pocket. It was a thin, woven cord, about the length of the girl's arm. Both the bear's and Fenir's teeth were strung upon it. Pretending to be deaf to Dis's protest of, "She'll puncture her throat at night," Thorin tied the cord around the dwarrow-maid's neck.

"I've sanded the sharp edges," said Thorin, "but be careful and don't wear it to sleep."

She nodded, gripped the teeth tightly in her hand, and stood.

"Now I will introduce you to my nephews," said Thorin, "and we'll have breakfast."

He held her free hand, the one that wasn't stubbornly wrapped around the teeth, and led her to the kitchen. Sure enough, both Kili and Fili were there, play-sparring with their wooden swords.

"Fili, Kili," called Thorin. The boys dropped their weapons and ran towards their uncle eagerly. At the last moment, however, they stopped in their tracks, eyeing the girl warily.

"Who is that?" Fili said.

Kili said nothing, but scrutinized her with his dark eyes.

"This is – er – what's your name?"

Dis gave a snort again, and went to prepare breakfast. He could hear her mutter, "By Mahal's beard, my brother is _stupid_" before she entered the kitchen.

The girl ducked her head, mumbling something, and Kili's eyes flashed in outrage.

"_My_ name is Kili!" he said indignantly.

"I said Kansi," the girl replied, frowning.

"Oh," Kili said sulkily, before adding in a defiant tone, "well, Kansi is a silly name."

"So is Kili," Kansi shot back.

"Kansi's arms were hurt from the thing I told you two about last night," said Thorin, hoping to avoid a fight.

Luckily, he succeeded.

"The bears?" said Kili in admiration, completely forgetting his snipe at Kansi. "Really?"

Kansi beamed. "He was very brave!" she said. "His axe chopped a bear's head off, too!"

Dis came in, and upon hearing about the headless bear, gave Thorin a dirty look.

"Breakfast," she said, "will be ready in half an hour. Make sure you bathe Kili and Fili. They didn't have their bath last night."

And with one final sniff, Dis disappeared into her kitchen, her apron strings fluttering indignantly behind her.

.

.

.

Eventually, Kansi's arms and leg healed into smooth skin, but her cheek never did. Three ragged scars ran from the middle of her left cheek to below her ear, diagonal claw marks that would perpetually remind Kansi of that fateful night.

Other dwarf children liked to make fun of Kansi, calling her "Cat" and "Kitty Whiskers", which made Thorin's face turn to stone, and Kansi's legs to jelly. Kili and Fili were never part of those children, however,a s they were quite impressed that Kansi had earned herself 'battle scars' at so young an age.

With her parents dead, and with no lead to any sort of relation, Dis agreed to help raise Kansi as a daughter. Their friends and neighbours did not agree with the idea of taking in a misshapen little girl, especially a barbaric one (upon meeting a particularly uppity dwarrowdam, Kansi managed to stick out her tongue all the way at her), and their stinging remarks about her appearance and history made Kansi a bit defensive in terms of conversation.

But ironically, it was because of these scars that Kansi made any friends at all. It started on the day Thorin decided to bring the children to the market.

**Kansi**

They walked past colourfully decorated stalls and shops, and Kansi felt herself shrinking when many a dwarf gave her a long look, their eyes lingering on her face. Poorly concealed whispers surrounded her, expressions of derision and pity surrounding her at every angle. She would have run home in humiliation and misery had it not been for Thorin. He put a hand on Kansi's shoulder and whispered fiercely, "Don't let others judge you because of your appearance. Show them who you really are, and show them what you are truly capable of." Kansi then straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, daring to give the goggling dwarves defiant glares.

As she walked past a young dwarf in a scarf who eyed her curiously, she was about to give him the same treatment, but he didn't narrow his eyes or point any fingers.

He only smiled.

"Hello, Thorin, sir," he said politely. He was around the same age as her, probably a few years younger, and his hair was cut in the shape of a bowl. The dwarf-lad was opening his mouth to speak again when an older dwarf, stout but amazing fast, ran over from his stall and grabbed his arm.

"Ori, I _told_ you not to run off!" he said furiously. He turned, and noticed them with a start. "Oh, good morning, Thorin. Are these your nephews?"

"Yes, they are," said Thorin. "This is Fili and Kili, and this is Kansi. It's good to see you, Dori."

Dori bobbed his head, not even blinking twice at the scars on Kansi's face, and directed his gaze back to Ori.

"This is Ori," he said to Fili and Kili. "He's my brother, and he'll be trailing with you in several years." There was a hint of pride in his voice as he clapped Ori's shoulder. Then, quick as a whip, he turned around, hollering, "Leave my herbs _ALONE_, Nori!"

Ori smiled shyly at them, his eyes flicking to Kansi.

"Are you the girl everyone calls Kitty Whiskers?" he said.

Kansi stiffened, reddened, and gave a quick, tense nod.

"Well, they shouldn't," said Ori.

And that was that.

He eventually introduced Kansi, Kili, and Fili to other young dwarves, who bonded quickly with the Durin boys. They were a bit reluctant to talk to Kansi, but she didn't really mind; her friends were found elsewhere: in Ori and his brother Nori; in Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur, who visited from Moria once in a while; and in Dori, Oin, and Gloin, who treated her like a granddaughter. But most of all, she spent time with Kili and Fili at home, discussing things about the market and about their favourite subject: dwarf legends.

They often would meet Ori in the market or at the forges, where Fili had begun to help at. Thorin worked in the part of the forges where weapons were made, but Kansi was also quite impressed to see other products, like fine chains and faceted jewels. Ori did not like the noise in the forges, nor did he tolerate the unbearable heat, so he often stood outside and tried to breathe.

Fili and Kili began to visit the forges more often when Kili turned forty-seven. Occasionally, Thorin allowed Kansi to join them, but for most of the time, she stayed with Dis at home.

She did not remember her exact birthday, so they celebrated it on the day Thorin found her. One afternoon on her fifty-first birthday, when she became the equivalent of a fourteen-year-old human maid, there was a small party. Kili and Fili invited their closest friends, and they played and frolicked and essentially got into trouble until evening. That was when Dis sat her down and gave her a very serious talk.

Previous birthdays had food and play, just like this one, Dis explained, but a dwarrow-maid's fifty-first birthday would be especially important.

"It is the age when a dwarrow-maid is no longer a child," Dis said. "You will learn to keep house, cook a passable meal, and hem clothes. You will practice fixing and mending, healing and taking care of children. You will learn responsibility and character."

That was good and wonderful, knowing that she was now considered a grown-up, but Kansi was still a very excitable, adventurous young maiden, and like every other excitable, adventurous young maiden, did not find any fun in hanging laundry on laundry lines. Despite her dislike of doing a housewife's chores, she did them anyway, and tried not to burn anything while making fried eggs.

Sometimes she did not find life very fair, however, when she saw Kili and Fili going to help at the forges. They always returned home with news of swords and sheaths, of watching gold melt, and of sharpening a blade the right way. They enjoyed learning how to find the balance of a sword, and how to fashion a proper hilt. While they learned about the proper metal to use to make a dagger, Kansi spent her days sewing and washing dishes. When they sported a newly made weapon, she could only boast a new embroidery design.

It infuriated her that she had to be the meek, loving wife that did the housework. She didn't want to scrub floors all her life; she wanted to fight, she wanted to forge, and she wanted to be like Thorin – a hero and a protector.

As ridiculous as it sounded, Kansi held on to her dream of having the chance to step out of her repetitive world and into a world of adventure.

And she would have hoped and dreamed for all her life to no avail if she had not heard what Thorin would train Fili, Kili, and Ori to do.


End file.
